U.S. offers $10 million reward for Iranian cyber suspects

Cybernews reports that the U. S. State Department is offering up to $10 million for information on Fatemeh Sedighian Kashi and Mohammed Bagher Shirinkar, hackers who are accused of carrying out cyberattacks for the Iranian government while working with Shahid Shushtari, a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command.

Officials say the group has targeted critical infrastructure in the U.S., the Middle East, and Europe, disrupting industries like telecom, energy, finance, media, and shipping. Shushtari, also known as Emennet Pasargad and other aliases, has been active since 2018. The unit reportedly targeted the 2020 U.S. presidential election and has conducted cyberespionage operations using false identities.

Josh Atkins of Google Threat Intelligence Group said, "Target industries are typically government, but we've seen them target finance, healthcare, tech and generally anything of interest to the regime."

A joint advisory from the Israel National Cyber Directorate, the FBI, and the Treasury Department in 2024 highlighted the group's continued activity in malware, phishing, and influence operations, reflecting rapidly evolving cyber capabilities.